


The Blossoming of Perfuma

by SweetDumpling



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Gender Dysphoria, POV Second Person, Prequel, Short, Trans Female Character, fluff?, pre-transition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24538654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetDumpling/pseuds/SweetDumpling
Summary: Perfuma discovers some stuff about herself!
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	1. Girl in the Mirror

You are Prince ████████.  
You stand like a statue before your reflection. For someone who hates looking in the mirror, you do it a whole lot. 'Try to focus on the positives' you tell yourself, like usual. Your luscious, shoulder-length golden hair; your flawless caramel skin, dotted with freckles; your general good vibes.

Overall, you are a very pretty- uh, that is to say, you are a handsome, strapping young prince. Yes, that’s it. You know this. Your people know this. They adore their prince and are none too shy about telling you so… and yet, something is wrong. You have known what that is for a while now. At least, you think you know. Even thinking about it makes your heart race.

You screw your eyes shut.  
Slow breaths ████████, like you practiced.  
You center yourself.  
You open your eyes.  
████████, that is, **you** are still there in the mirror. The leaf green tunic that was tailored expertly for your beanpole frame, but is somehow always uncomfortable. Suffocating almost. These tan cotton trousers are much the same. Your eyes are drawn to the wardrobe in the corner of your chambers. You approach it hesitantly, as if it might suddenly attack. You open the doors so slowly, anyone would think they weighed a ton each. 

Inside is a dress, bright pink in hue. It is far from perfect. You were never too skilled with a needle and thread, and you might just melt into the floor if you tried to ask the royal seamstress for something like this. 

You keep your eyes trained straight ahead while you disrobe and pull the homemade garment over your head. Once it’s on, you stand paralyzed for a moment. What do you do if it doesn’t help? What do you do if it **does**?

Eyes closed.  
More deep breaths.  
Feel the universe flow through you; feel the sunlight against your skin, tempered by your tent roof; smell the flowers that surround you; hear the distant calls of animals, hidden in the Whispering Woods.  
Eyes open.  
You are back in the room.

You turn around and confront your reflection. It is far from perfect, but you cannot help smiling. The dress is a little loose around your chest and a little tight around the waist, but you look like a _girl_. Not a stunning girl, not a particularly beautiful girl, but a girl nonetheless. You do not know why that makes you feel so, so happy.

Giggling giddily, you do a little twirl.

“████████! Dinner’s ready!”

“Ah!”  
You almost fall on your ass mid-spin when your father’s booming voice calls from outside.  
“Just a second!” you call back, laughing nervously as you scramble to get out of the dress.  
You pick your ‘normal’ clothes off the floor, put them on and dust yourself off a bit.

“Gee son, you’re taking a while in there. I didn't scare you too bad, did I?"

"Oh, not at all," you laugh. 

Son. He says that word casually, and with so much love. So why does it hurt slightly? Gee, that question is giving you all sorts of negative energies. 

Best not to give it any more thought.


	2. Saying It Out Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chat over some fruits. Also Perfuma has a mum.

You eagerly dig into the bowl of forest fruits in front of you, half because they are delicious and half because it means you do not have to speak. Your father is more than happy to fill in the void that you leave in the air.

“So, you’ve been pretty quiet lately, sport. I hope all this business with the horde isn’t getting to you,” he prods.

The royal Plumerian dining hall is probably less impressive than other kingdoms'. One big tent with a circular table in the middle. Not that you mind, in fact you like it. It's cozy. 

"You've got nothing to worry about dear," your mother adds cheerfully. "We just joined the Alliance. The Horde may be strong, but there's no way they're a match for so many kingdoms working together."

You nod, and offer them both a smile. You have decided that today is the day you tell your parents what you have been feeling, after almost a year of saying “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Up until now, tomorrow has never come. 

“Oh, no it’s nothing like that.It’s, um, it’s about me,” you explain. A twinge of guilt runs through you. Gosh, it feels kind of selfish when you say it out loud.

Your mother and father both perk up a little. The guilt gets worse. They already have so much on their plate: a kingdom to run, a war to fight, a million papers to sign. Now you are throwing one more thing their way. Then again, they let you grow out your hair and start shaving, both of which are already a break from tradition. So maybe this time won't be any different. Or, maybe your mom and dad were reluctant to accept those things, and were just too polite to show it. Maybe they were being generous up until now, but this will be a step too far and will place a wedge between you and your family that will never go away. 

"Honey?" your mother asks softly.  
"You're shaking a little there," your father adds. 

You look down and, sure enough, your hands are jittery as can be. You set your fork down and push both hands onto the table. 

Deep breaths. Okay. 

"I'm okay. It's just… I don't think I can be a prince…" you explain. 

They give you a quizzical look.  
"But my boy, it must be you. No one else has the connection to the Heart Blossom that you do," your father replies. 

Your mother chimes in. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of help from us and your advisers and-" 

"Oh no, that's not quite what I meant…" you giggIe, though your smile quickly fades. No use being coy. "I think I was meant to be a woman."

You have given a lot of thought about how you would put the feeling you've been having into words, once you worked up the courage.

You don't _want_ to be a woman. That's far too casual. 

You could say you _are_ a woman, but, well, look at you. That would just be confusing.

What you eventually settled on isn't perfect either. " _Meant to be a woman_ ". You probably sound spoilt, as if this is something you were owed by the universe itself. Still, it gets the idea across better than anything else you have. You figured it would do.

Silence has fallen over the room again.  
Two sets of eyes squarely on you.  
It's hard to read your parents' expression. Saddened? Worried? Betrayed? 

Your blood runs cold and you begin to wish you could unsay those words, swallow them back up and forget all about them.  
Too late now. Gosh, is the shaking getting worse? It is. 

You are so worked up that you barely notice your father stand up and walk over to you, which is unusual, because he is a pretty tall guy. You start slightly when you feel his arms wrap around you. 

"It's okay," he assures you. 

Your mother hesitantly gets up too.  
"And you're sure about this?" she asks, her tone deathly serious. 

You nod. "Y-Yeah."

Darn it, you can feel your eyes welling up. Why are you like this? 

"Well, we'll have to do something about that then, won't we?" she says. You are scared of what exactly that means, until you see a warm smile slowly appear as she gets closer. Soon you are being hugged from both sides. 

You feel a little embarrassed, especially when the waterworks open up, yet this went better than you ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got to admit, this is an abridged and probably pretty idealised portrayal of coming out. I feel like Etheria's the kind of setting where that's appropriate though.


	3. Checkup

It has been a few months since you came out to your parents and a lot has changed. First and forefront, you have a name, Perfuma and you have been able to wear the clothes you want without fear of being “caught”; heck, some of those clothes even fit you now! 

Everyone you know has been very supportive, maybe that is a perk of being royalty, but you would like to think that Plumeria is always this accepting.

You still have your fair share of worries. About what people say about you when you aren’t around; about waking up some day and suddenly not wanting this anymore; about how quickly your body hair grows. Today should help with at least one of those worries. 

You take your first steps into the residential area of Brightmoon. Visiting other kingdoms is always such a thrill, with so many buildings and people around. There is no time for sightseeing though, you are a woman on a mission! 

As sympathetic as your kingdom's people are, Plumeria is not a place known for medical expertise or technology. Home remedies have helped a bit; you have been taking various teas and tonics that make your skin softer and any peach fuzz less noticeable, stuff like that Most of it is probably plantebo-, potabo-, parsle-, that thing where it’s mostly in your head. Still, it has helped tide you over while you wait for something more substantial. Brightmoon medicine should lead to some obvious, permanent changes that you have been looking for.

It is surprising how easily you blend in to the crowd here, despite being royalty and your 'situation' (as your mother has taken to calling it). You have an address and a vague idea of what the doctor’s office looks like. You **do** pass by the place once or twice before finally recognising it. How does anyone get around here? 

Judging by the sun, you’ve made it with time to spare. The building is very modern, all neat angles and glass walls. You push open the twin doors into a spacious waiting room and sit down. 

You notice, as you have a few times now, that you do not feel as tense as you used to when left to wit with your own thoughts. This must be what it's like to be comfortable in your own body. You can just sit here, without scratching at your arms or your face or anything. It is kind of wild to think that this is how everyone else feels every day. 

“Perfuma?” calls a woman in a white coat down the hall. Presumably the doctor.

“Here,” you call back, raising a hand as you stand up and hurry over to meet her.

“Right this way.” She leads you into a small office. “Please, have a seat.”

You follow the simple instruction and sit yourself in front of her desk, which the doctor in turn sits herself behind. She checks a stack of papers.

"Okay, you're here about transitioning. Is that correct?" She is refreshingly nonchalant about the matter. 

"Mhmm," you nod. 

She nods, places the papers down and leans forward. "Alright, and I know you're probably sick of this question, but are you sure you want to go through with this?" 

"Yes," you reply with a firm nod. 

The doctor smiles reassuringly. "Excellent, then let's see what we can do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a filler chapter, but the next chapter takes place during Perfuma's introduction in the series proper and I felt it would be jarring to jump straight to that without anything bridging the gap.
> 
> Also, my IRL experience with this mostly ends with the last chapter, so sorry if the writing here is a bit less realistic or seems more impersonal.
> 
> Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the read ^_^.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.  
> I feel like I should warn new readers that the rest of my stories on here are kink stuff, so if that's not your bag then it's probably best to ignore those. Either way, I plan on continuing this story and some more in a similar vein, so hopefully you;ll be around for that ^_^.


End file.
